The first green beans, onions, radishes, herbs lettuce, beets, corn and chard at Operation Feed’s new community garden in San Juan Cosalá have been devoured with gusto. Garbanzo beans and squash will be ready very soon.
In the perfect climate of Lake Chapala, the program’s new gardeners can grow and harvest vegetables continuously. As soon as one crop is harvested, another is planted.
A grassroots, non-profit program, Operation Feed has been helping families in San Juan Cosalá for 25 years by distributing basic food packages (despensas) each week to about 100 area families identified to be in serious need.
Hoping to create ways that the able-bodied Operation Feed recipients could become more self-sufficient, volunteers began brainstorming ideas. From those meetings came the concept of a community garden where the 200 men, women and children in the Operation Feed families could learn to plant and maintain a garden to produce food for the program, as well as learn skills so to grow additional vegetables at home.
Jocotepec Mayor Juan Francisco O’Shea Cuevas pledged his full support to the project and San Juan Cosalá community leader and long-time Operation Feed supporter Agustín Vazquez, the owner of Restaurant Viva Mexico, loaned the group a large unused tract of land.
The Ajijic Garden Club and the Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic (CASA) also jumped on the bandwagon, donating money to plow the tract of land, and buy hand tools, two water tanks, nutrients to balance the soil and the all-important seeds.
Hoping to create ways that the able-bodied Operation Feed recipients could become more self-sufficient, volunteers began brainstorming ideas.
Work began in the garden in May 2014. The vegetables are all grown organically – no pesticides or commercial fertilizers are used. About 15 to 20 people come every Saturday to plant, maintain and harvest.
Martin Meza Avila and Nancy Brown teach a variety of gardening methods, including layer gardening, container gardening, vertical gardening, as well as traditional gardening.
As each method is taught, the people usually leave the community garden with all they need to implement the technique in their home gardens. The new vegetable growers are learning how to save seeds for later planting, how to use kitchen scraps for growing new plants, and how to take cuttings to create new plants and trees.
They have begun composting on the property, and a worm farm has also been started. As the interest and enthusiasm for the program grows, so do the gardens. Another section of the property was cleared by the gardeners and has now been planted.
In the fall, local artist Marcia Lavender arrived with paints and brushes to personalize and decorate the bricks surrounding the individual plots. Each week two raffles are held with those present eligible to receive a small prize such as a kitchen utensil, a towel, canned foods, packets of little soaps, creams and lotions, and aprons. Cooling drinks are provided for those working in the gardens and sometimes there is candy for the children, and occasionally there is even a small trinket for each child. In addition, there is even music to make the work lighter. Paul Brier comes to play his saxophone to encourage the squash to grow, other times Jim Burgess creates a good deal of happiness and relaxation when he plays … his stomach.
The San Juan Cosalá Community Gardening project has proven to be a rewarding experience, both for the recipients of the vegetables and the people who volunteer.
But there are still needs to be met. Money is needed – about $5,000 pesos – to finish the partially built shed to house the gardening tools. In addition, small items (not necessarily new) for the raffles make the work go faster. And a garden always needs seeds and gardening supplies.
Those who would like to help can contact Nancy Brown by calling (376) 766-4418 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Donated items can be left at Viva Mexico Restaurant (specify Community Garden) or cash donations for the garden project can be made on the Operation Feed webpage: operationfeedsjc.squarespace.com. Specify the donation is for the Community Garden, as the funding for the gardens and for the delivery of the food packages is kept strictly separate.